In digital devices, a user interface (UI) is used to provide an easy and efficient way to use the digital device and information. A user manually moves a pointer using an input unit such as a keypad, keyboard or mouse, and can command a digital device to perform a desired operation by selecting a graphics object indicated by the pointer. A UI is typically displayed on the device's screen and navigated via a client device (e.g. a Set-Top Box). Increasingly ubiquitous companion devices such as computers, mobile telephones, tablet computers or other suitable handheld devices can also be used now for UI viewing and/or navigation. Depending on the companion device used, such UIs are usually navigated using a variety of tools including, for example, a computer mouse for a computer, keypads buttons for a mobile telephone, or even the user's fingers for UIs that support direct manipulation.
Different menus and/or applications are also accessible through a UI and provide the user with additional information related to a particular television program. A user can now browse the UI to know more about, for example, the characters, the actors, the director, etc. of a particular television program.
Hence, using a companion device as a second display may be useful to display the UI itself and/or additional information related to a particular television program, thereby providing the user with an enhanced viewing experience. Indeed, the television can be viewed in an optimal manner (e.g. in full size on a first display) while displaying additional information on a second display. Furthermore, a significant amount of additional information may be used to enhance the user's viewing experience.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,741,790 of Red Hen Systems Inc. describes a hardware device (40) and software, which are configurable and operable in three modes: recording mode, indexing mode, and playback mode. In the recording mode, the hardware device (40) is connected to a GPS receiver (44) and video recording device (42), and permits GPS data to be recorded on the same recording medium that images are recorded on using the video recording device (42). As a result, a particular geographic location associated with particular images can be directly referenced by GPS data. After recording the images, the hardware device (40) is connected to a computer (46) having the software of the present invention installed, and the system causes GPS data to be transferred from the recording medium to the computer (46) as the recorded images are replayed. During this step, called the indexing mode, the computer (46) draws a map showing all of the GPS referenced locations recorded on the recording medium. Each map location represents a location where images were recorded with GPS data. Once the indexing mode is completed, the system can be used to play back the images recorded, in accordance with the selection of a location on a map. During this step, called the playback mode, a marker may be selected on the computer (46) generated indexed map, and the system will cause the video recording device (42) to play back the images that were recorded at that selected location. Alternatively, if the recorded images have been transferred to some other media, for example CD ROM or hard disk, the system will cause the computer (46) to play back the images that were recorded at that selected location.
U.S. Published Patent Application 2002/0048054 of Ohata et al., describes an on-demand image delivery server delivering designated image data based on a request from a client terminal with one or a plurality of retrieval items as a retrieval condition inputted from the client terminal, made up by a retrieval function portion, which retrieves one or a plurality of image resource databases, and a retrieval result displaying function portion, which displays on the screen of the client terminal for confirmation of contents of image data subject to delivery, simplified image data of the image data matching a retrieval condition and/or data regarding attached contents-related information.
U.S. Published Patent Application 2011/0148936 of Apple Inc., describes systems and techniques for associating and presenting media content items with locations on a geographical track path. For example, the frames of a video segment can be associated with locations on a track path. The track path can be based on position data, including position coordinates and a corresponding time coordinates, obtained while the video frames were captured. Locations for the video frames can be determined based on a start time of the video segment, a frame rate of the video segment, and the position data. The video segment can be displayed with user controls that enable a user to manipulate the frame of the video segment being displayed including a time indicator and a location indicator displayed on the track path.